Donors Responding To Blood Shortage

The Miller Memorial Blood Center expects to bring its supply of O-positive blood back to safe levels by the end of the week as a result of community response to an appeal for that blood type.

"At the moment, we're still down on O-positive," Fran Chizeck, director of recruitment, said yesterday morning. "But we're doing very well," she added. "People are amazing."

"On behalf of the patients who need the blood, we thank the community," she stated.

On Friday, the center made an appeal for O-positive blood when safety levels dipped more than 100 pints below the normal level of 270 pints, or what should be in the system for adequate supply.

The shortage was the result of high usage by surgery, trauma and open- heart patients and patients with gastrointestinal bleeding.

Miller belongs to a blood clearing-house program whose members can declare excesses of blood as well as determine where they can obtain blood if a shortage develops. None of the members had declared any excess of O-positive.

O-Positive is the most common blood type. One of every three persons has O-positive blood.

Chizeck said that extra appointments have been added to the schedule this week as a result of donors calling the center Friday evening and Saturday.

"We should return to safety levels by the end of the week, if all goes well," Chizeck said.

The center is still accepting appointments. Donors calling the center will be scheduled into next week.

"The need doesn't go away. It's not like we're finished after the shortage is filled," Chizeck said, adding, "As we're collecting the blood, it is still being used."